Fostering the development of young athletes takes time, heart and, occasionally, stern, but always caring, coaching.
Coach Ernie ‘Gillie’ Seymour has been a stalwart leader in furthering the sport of football in the Cayman Islands, and this weekend community members came together to celebrate his contributions.
The Truman Bodden Sports Complex served as the stage for a special all-star match Saturday evening.
Players who have benefitted from Seymour’s tutorage played a friendly match, with ‘Ernie’s All-Stars’ facing off against ‘Gillie’s All Stars’.
At halftime, the ‘legends’ took to the pitch for a quick match, featuring Seymour himself. That game ended in a 1-1 draw, with Collin ‘Dougie’ Rowe scoring for Ernie’s Legends and Eastern Russell scoring for Gillie’s Legends.
Ernie’s All-Stars took the featured match 6-3, with Theron Wood and Shakur Silburn scoring two points each, and Mark Ebanks and Steven Wellington each finding the back of the net once. For Gillie’s All-Stars, Carson Fagan scored two goals and Martin Webb added one.
Though the games were friendly faceoffs, the excitement was palpable with the crowd reacting to every score, near miss, and leap by a goalkeeper.
Stepping back
Seymour recently announced his decision to step back from the sport he has dedicated more than two decades to promoting. At the beginning of the year, he shared his frustration with the long-term decline of the Cayman Athletic Sports Club, which he founded 17 years ago.
However, Saturday’s tournament focused on his work to help young people get involved in the sport, with supporters filling the bleachers. Conversations about a testimonial game began years ago, but Seymour’s son, Antwan, helped finally “get the ball rolling”, he said.
With some of his top players duking it out on the field behind him, Seymour told the Compass about what he hopes his protégés have learned.
He said he has always striven to teach players about the physical, technical, tactical and psychological aspects of the game, and how to properly prepare ahead of a match.
“Psychology plays a big role,” he said. “The stronger you get, the stronger you get mentally. As the Greeks say, ‘Strong mind, strong body’.”
Seymour said while he is proud of his accomplishments, like leading the Cayman Islands to a bronze medal at the 2015 Caribbean Football Union Boys’ Under-15 Championship, he takes special pride in how he has consistently showed up for players of all ages.
“They came for a reason,” he said. “In all my years of coaching, I’ve never had a training session where no one showed. Someone always showed.”
Mark Ebanks, who played as a forward, said he was glad to take part in the All-Stars match as a former national team member coached by Seymour.
He said he was thrilled to catch up with some of the teammates with whom he grew up, and he was pleased to see how the ‘legends’ have continued to thrive.
When asked how it was being coached by Seymour, Ebanks said with a laugh that his former teacher could be tough but immensely supportive.
“He’ll talk to you personally,” he said. “That’s what I like about him. Not only that he’s a team coach, but that he’ll get in there and see what’s up with you, find out what’s wrong and how to improve. Throughout my career, he really helped me.”
Especially given the substantial turnout for Saturday’s ticketed match, Ebanks said organisers hope to continue holding such reunion games.
Goalkeeper Ramon Sealy agreed the event was worthwhile.
“Everyone had a good time, and these types of events are needed in the Cayman Islands to showcase the talent here,” he said.
“Coach Gillie touched a lot of people and was a part of a lot of people’s lives – probably saved some lives as well. It’s good that we’re able to come here, join together, and honour him with this event.”
As for the future of the sport, Seymour said he hopes leaders consider its holistic development, especially for the national athletes.
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